Jesus the Christ is the very reason we celebrate Christmas at all. Historians and politicians have throughout time debated where Christmas originated, some claiming the winter solstice celebrations of paganism were hijacked by Christians as a political power ploy.
This episode of the Christmas Hall of Fame Podcast explores the origins of the Christmas story and explains just what The Christ means (it’s not a name, it is a title).
Christmas is much older than the story of the Nativity that most know so well from the 2nd Chapter of Luke in the New Testament.
There is far more to explore in the history of Jesus and the aftermath of his death and resurrection than can be covered in a brief podcast.
However, the fundamentals of why we celebrate Christmas and how it has endured so long is a fascinating topic that cannot and should not be ignored. This episode briefly touches on the true celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas and of his resurrection at Easter and why they both go together.
A world growing ever more secular in the celebration of Christmas is missing a powerful opportunity with each passing Christmas season to not only come to know God but also to celebrate the divine within themselves.
This is at the at the very heart of celebrating the coming of The Christ into the world.
The impact of Jesus on the history of the world, and by extension, the history of Christmas simply cannot be calculated. Without Jesus, there is no Christmas.
It is likewise important to note that much of the history of Jesus is shrouded in myth, speculation and outright deception.
His memory has been corrupted by major and minor figures in history for their own purposes. Constantine, a Roman Emperor who feigned later conversion to Christianity, led the charge of the Council of Nicea. It was there that the divinity of Christ was debated and compromised.
In the process of these and other events, the pure doctrines of Christ were corrupted, changed and molded to political and worldly ends.
Even the Bible and how we came to have it today emerged from generations of religious and political leaders who for whatever their reasons added to, took away, or denied access to precious truths kept in sacred texts that both pre-dated and came after the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ.
In fact, we know of more than 70 ancient texts that were considered for “the Bible”, but that never were canonized. The Book of Enoch, the Book of Mary and other texts that largely denied the world greater knowledge of the life Jesus led before his ministry were excluded.
This is largely why the search for understanding of the Christ, and thus of Christmas, is as much a spiritual journey as it is an intellectual pursuit.
We could draw parallels to both Joseph and Mary of old: they knew of the coming of the Messiah and yet when faced with an intimate inclusion in that story they were only educated by spiritual means.
The promise of Christmas, as demonstrated by them and the Shepherds, is that the miracles of spiritual discoveries can and do happen.
It is critical to note that everyone in the Nativity story knew of Jesus was before he was born. Joseph, Mary, Zacharias, Elizabeth and even the wick King Herod knew exactly who he was. They were taught the prophesies of Isaiah and Abraham and Moses and others. They knew.
Those of us living thousands of years after all of these individuals need to trust their experience if we are to enjoy the full measure of true Christmas celebration. Without them, and without Christ, our Christmas would be hollow and incomplete.
Listen to this episode of the Christmas Hall of Fame Podcast
Author: Jeff Westover
Title: Podcast Bio: Jesus the Christ
James Stewart is the only actor in the inaugural nominated class of the Christmas Hall of Fame. (Yes, Bing Crosby acted…but we know why he is really here).
This television movie was a simple story: Stewart played a lonely senior citizen janitor who is prone to falling into bits of remembering the past and fantasizing about a more meaningful present.
